Integrated Circuit

The present disclosure relates to an integrated circuit for a wireless charging device and a method for characterising a NFC receiver device.

communicate with a receiver device using near field communication, NFC; determine one or more processing response times of the receiver device based on the communication; and determine if the receiver device comprises a passive NFC tag or a powered NFC device based on the one or more processing response times. According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided an integrated circuit for a wireless charging device, the integrated circuit configured to:

In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to: communicate with the receiver device by: transmitting one or more NFC processing commands to the receiver device; and receiving one or more respective NFC processing responses from the receiver device. The integrated circuit may be configured to determine the one or more processing response times of the receiver device based on a delay between each of the one or more NFC processing commands and the respective NFC processing response.

In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may communicate with the receiver device using a NFC communication antenna of the wireless charging device. The integrated circuit may transmit the one or more processing commands and receive the one or more processing responses using the NFC communication antenna of the wireless charging device.

In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to determine that the receiver device comprises a passive NFC tag if at least one of the one or more processing response times is less than a processing response time threshold.

In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to determine that the receiver device comprises a MIFARE DESFire smart card device if the at least one processing response time is less than the processing response time threshold.

communicate with the receiver device using NFC at a first transmission power of the wireless charging device; determine a first processing response time of the receiver device based on the communication at the first transmission power; communicate with the receiver device using NFC at a second transmission power of the wireless charging device, wherein the second transmission power is different to the first transmission power; determine a second processing response time of the receiver device based on the communication at the second transmission power; and determine if the receiver device comprises a passive NFC tag or a powered NFC device based on a difference between the first processing response time and the second processing response time. In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to:

In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to: determine the receiver device comprises a powered NFC device if the difference between the first processing response time and the second processing response time satisfies a difference threshold. The integrated circuit may be configured to determine the receiver device comprises a passive NFC tag if the difference between the first processing response time and the second processing response time does not satisfy the difference threshold

In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to determine the first processing response time and the second processing response time by measuring a frame delay time of the NFC communication.

transmit a first processing command at a first transmission power; receive a first processing response from the receiver device, wherein the first processing response corresponds to the first processing command; determine a first processing response time of the receiver device based on the first processing response; transmit a second processing command at a second transmission power, wherein the second processing command is the same as the first processing command and the second transmission power is different to the first transmission power; receive a second processing response from the receiver device, wherein the second processing response corresponds to the second processing command; determine a second processing response time of the receiver device based on the second processing response; and determine if the receiver device comprises a passive NFC tag or a powered NFC device based on a difference between the first processing response time and the second processing response time. In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to:

In one or more embodiments, the one or more processing response times may comprise a frame delay time of the NFC communication.

a Request for Answer To Select, RATS, frame delay time; or an Application Protocol Data Unit, APDU, frame delay time. In one or more embodiments, the one or more processing response times may comprise one or more of:

a RATS frame delay time at a first transmission power and at a second transmission power; a ADPU frame delay time at the first transmission power and at the second transmission power; determine a plurality of processing response times by measuring: determine that the receiver device comprises a powered NFC device if a difference between the RATS frame delay time at the first transmission power and at the second transmission power satisfies a RATS difference threshold or a difference between the ADPU frame delay time at the first transmission power and at the second transmission power satisfies an APDU difference threshold; and the difference between the RATS frame delay time at the first transmission power and at the second transmission power does not satisfy the RATS difference threshold; or the difference between the ADPU frame delay time at the first transmission power and at the second transmission power does not satisfy the APDU difference threshold. determine that the receiver device is a passive NFC tag if: In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to:

output an alert signal if the receiver device comprises a passive NFC tag; or transmit a charging signal to the receiver device for charging a battery of the receiver device if the receiver device comprises a powered NFC device. In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to:

In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may transmit the charging signal via a wireless charging antenna of the wireless charging device. The wireless charging antenna may comprise a Qi charging antenna or a near-field communication charging antenna.

communicate with a plurality of receiver devices using NFC; determine one or more processing response times of each of the plurality of receiver devices based on the respective communication; determine if any of the plurality of receiver devices comprises a passive NFC tag based on the respective one or more processing response times; and output an alert signal is any of the plurality of receiver devices comprise a passive NFC tag. In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to:

transmitting or broadcasting one or more NFC processing commands to the plurality of receiver devices; and receiving one or more respective NFC processing responses from each of the plurality of receiver devices; and communicate with the plurality of receiver devices by: determine the one or more processing response times of each of the plurality of receiver devices based on a delay between each of the one or more NFC processing commands and the respective NFC processing response. In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to:

communicate with the plurality of receiver devices at a first transmission power and at a second transmission power; and determine if any of the plurality of receiver devices comprises a passive NFC tag if a difference between a frame delay time of the receiver device at the first transmission power and at the second transmission power is greater than a difference threshold. In one or more embodiments, the integrated circuit may be configured to:

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a wireless charging device comprising any of the integrated circuits disclosed herein.

a NFC communication antenna for communicating with the receiver device; and a charging module comprising a wireless charging antenna for charging a battery of the receiver device. In one or more embodiments, the wireless charging device may comprise:

communicating with the receiver device using near field communication, NFC; determining one or more processing response times of the receiver device based on the communication; and determining if the receiver device comprises a passive NFC tag or a powered NFC device based on the one or more processing response times. According to a third aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a method for characterising a near field communication, NFC, receiver device, the method comprising:

In one or more embodiments, communicating with the receiver device may comprise: transmitting one or more NFC processing commands to the receiver device; and receiving one or more respective NFC processing responses from the receiver device. In one or more embodiments, determining the one or more processing response times may be based a delay between each of the one or more NFC processing commands and the respective NFC processing response.

communicating with the receiver device using NFC at a first transmission power; determining a first processing response time of the receiver device based on the communication at the first transmission power; communicating with the receiver device using NFC at a second transmission power different to the first transmission power; determining a second processing response time of the receiver device based on the communication at the second transmission power; and determining if the receiver device comprises a passive NFC tag or a powered NFC device based on a difference between the first processing response time and the second processing response time. In one or more embodiments, the method may comprise:

While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that other embodiments, beyond the particular embodiments described, are possible as well. All modifications, equivalents, and alternative embodiments falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims are covered as well.

The above discussion is not intended to represent every example embodiment or every implementation within the scope of the current or future Claim sets. The figures and Detailed Description that follow also exemplify various example embodiments. Various example embodiments may be more completely understood in consideration of the following Detailed Description in connection with the accompanying Drawings.

1 FIG. 100 101 102 104 102 Referring to, wireless charging such as Qi devices used in Automotive environments typically involves a wireless charging device(also referred to as a wireless charging poller, a wireless charging transmitter, or a wireless charging dock) that transmits an RF charging signalto a receiver device(listener) for charging a batteryof the receiver device.

100 106 106 102 100 108 102 106 110 112 110 101 104 102 108 114 116 In this example, the wireless charging pollerincludes a power transfer modulefor power transfer, e.g. according to the QI standard at RF frequencies of 105 to 205 kHz. In some examples, the power transfer modulemay communicate directly with the receiver device, e.g. establish a communication handshake prior to charging. In this example, the polleralso includes a separate near-field communication (NFC) modulefor NFC communication with the receiver device. A separate NFC communication module can be used for smart card detection (see below) together with other functionality such as a CCC (car connectivity consortium) digital key. The power transfer moduleincludes a power transfer antennaand a power transfer processing circuit. The power transfer antennacan transmit an RF charging signalto the batteryof the receiver. The NFC communication modulecomprises an NFC communication antennaand a communication processing circuit. In other examples, communication and power transfer functionality may be performed with the same antenna, for example in NFC wireless chargers. In some examples, two or more of the processing circuits and antenna(s) may form part of the same integrated circuit.

102 118 102 118 104 118 102 100 102 120 104 In this example, the receiver deviceis a smart phone with an NFC communication antennapositioned at a specific region of the receiver device. As the NFC antennais a powered antenna (powered by the battery), the NFC antennaor receiver deviceis an example of an active NFC device, a powered NFC device or a powered NFC endpoint. In other words, a powered NFC device is a NFC device that is powered by a battery, in contrast to a passive NFC tag that is powered by an RF field of an NFC poller. The receiver devicealso includes a processing deviceand the battery.

114 118 114 118 Two-way communication via NFC can be provided between the two NFC communication antennas,. The misalignment of the two NFC communication antennas,represents a weak-coupling scenario.

100 102 Wireless charging devices typically perform foreign object detection to determine the presence of a foreign object between the pollerand the listener. However, the foreign object detection is typically limited to the detection of metallic objects such as coins.

100 106 110 100 Wireless charging devicescan also utilize their NFC communication moduleto perform smart card detection to determine if a card with a passive NFC tag is present between the wireless charging poller and the receiver device. Example smart cards include ticketing cards, security access cards, bank cards etc. Identifying the presence of the smart card between the poller and listener can alert a user and avoid damage to the passive NFC tag of the smart card. The risk of such an unwanted damage event in Qi charging systems has increased in recent years due to the Qi standard moving from 5 W to 15 W+ charging power. Current smart card detection methods are limited to strong-coupling scenarios where the NFC communication antennaof the wireless pollerand the passive NFC tag are well aligned.

Weak NFC coupling scenarios are becoming more common for in-car wireless phone charging. This is due to the relatively large area where the phone can be placed on the charging dock and charged in contrast to the small area available on top of a wireless charging module for the NFC Antenna. This in combination with the trend of having a small NFC antenna on top of big phones, instead of a bigger antenna in the middle of the phones, is leading to weak-coupling scenarios that create a challenging environment for existing smart card protection methods.

A further complication is that phones can operate in a smart card emulation mode in which they mimic the response of the passive NFC tag of a smart card to provide the same functionality and digital properties from the phone instead of the smart card. This is especially common for ticketing applications, where the smart card emulation on a phone must be identical to a real physical card to avoid IoP (interoperability) issues in the field. Therefore, relying on the functionality of the smart card as in conventional smart card detection can lead to false positives when a smart phone is operating in a smart card emulation mode.

The present disclosure provides apparatus and methods enabling passive NFC tag/smart card detection in both strong- and weak-coupling scenarios.

2 FIG. 2 FIG. 1 FIG. 200 200 illustrates a wireless charging deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Features ofthat are also present inhave been given corresponding numbers in theseries and are not necessarily described again here.

202 2 222 200 202 1 200 202 1 214 218 204 201 222 202 2 In this example, a second receiver device-in the form of a smart card with a NFC taghas been placed between the wireless charging deviceand the phone-(a first receiver device). If the wireless charging deviceperforms only an initial hand-shake with the phone-(e.g. via the NFC antennas,) and proceeds to charge the phone battery, the RF charging signalmay damage the NFC tagof the smart card-.

202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 In one or more examples, the wireless charging device can communicate with the second receiver-(and optionally both receivers-,-) to identify the presence of the smart card-.

200 208 216 214 206 212 210 206 208 1 FIG. The wireless charging deviceincludes an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is not illustrated but may comprise one or more of: the NFC communication module, the communication processing circuit, the NFC communication antenna, the power transfer module, the power transfer processing circuit, or the power transfer antenna. As noted for, the wireless charging device may comprise a separate power transfer moduleand NFC communication module(e.g. for Qi charging and NFC communication) or may comprise a single communication and charging module performed using the same antenna (e.g. for NFC charging systems).

202 1 202 2 The integrated circuit may perform the following operation for one or both of the receiver devices-,-.

202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 The integrated circuit communicates with the receiver device using NFC. For example the integrated circuit may transmit or broadcast (to communicate with both devices) an NFC processing command to the receiver device-,-, and receive a corresponding NFC processing response from the receiver device-,-. The integrated circuit determines or measures a processing response time of the receiver device based on a delay between the NFC processing command and the corresponding NFC processing response, and determines if the receiver device-,-comprises a passive NFC tag or a powered NFC device/antenna based on the processing response time.

214 The integrated circuit can transmit the processing command and receive the NFC processing response via the NFC communication antenna.

The processing response time may comprise a frame delay time (FDT). The integrated circuit may measure the FDT as a difference between a first time at which the last bit of the NFC processing command is transmitted and a second time at which a first bit of the NFC processing response is received.

200 202 1 202 2 222 202 1 202 2 222 202 1 202 2 In some examples: the processing command may comprise a Request for Answer to Select (RATS) command; the processing response may comprise an Answer to Select (ATS) response; and the processing response time may comprise a RATS FDT. A RATS command is a standard NFC command to initiate communication between the pollerand the receiver-,-or tag. For a RATS command, the receiver-,-will respond with an Answer to Select (ATS) response. The ATS response can include important information about the NFC tag/receiver-,-, such as its maximum frame size, supported data rates, and other communication parameters.

200 202 1 202 2 222 In some examples: the processing command may comprise an Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU) command; the processing response may comprise an APDU response; and the processing response time may comprise a APDU FDT. An APDU command is a standard NFC command sent by the pollerto the receiver-,-or tagto request a specific action.

202 2 222 202 2 In some examples, the integrated circuit may determine the receiver-to be a passive NFC tag, e.g. from a smart card device-, if the processing response time is less than a processing response time threshold. Smart phones typically have a lower limit for a RATS FDT (see table 1 below) of approximately 400 us. Passive NFC tags can result in RATS FDTs of less than 400 us. In particular, a MIFARE DESFire NFC tag/device can have a RATS FDT of less than 100 us. MIFARE DESFire NFC tags are typically used for ticketing and access and have a very fast processing time compared to complex Smart Cards running a MIFARE emulation on top of an operating system or mobile phone NFC modules. Therefore, the MIFARE DESFire NFC tags can return a RATS FDT of less than 100 us (see table 1) which cannot be matched by a phone running in a smart card emulation mode. Therefore, the processing response time threshold may be 400 us, 300 us, 200 us, 100 us or similar, for a RATS FDT (RATS processing command and ATS processing response).

However, relying on a single measurement and threshold may lead to error. While a RATS FDT less than the threshold may indicate the presence of a passive NFC tag, a RATS FDT greater than the threshold does not necessarily imply the absence of a passive NFC tag. This is because the processing response time of passive NFC tags will vary as a function of the poller transmission voltage (VDDPA). Therefore, a longer RATS FDT may be indicative of a smart card in a weak-coupling scenario rather than the absence of a smart card. The variation in FDT arises because a smart card/passive NFC tag is powered by the operating field of the poller device and the passive NFC tag typically reduces its clock speed by clock stop or clock scaling features at low field strength/power. In contrast, a battery powered NFC device does not rely on the strength of the RF field, and the same processing response time is observed for low and high field strength/power. As explained below, this difference between passive NFC tags and powered NFC devices enables a more refined approach for smart card detection.

200 202 1 202 2 222 218 200 202 1 202 2 200 202 1 202 2 In some examples, the wireless charging devicemay measure a processing response time at two different transmission powers and determine if the receiver device-,-comprises a passive NFC tagor a powered NFC antennabased on the processing response time at each of the two different transmission powers. In particular, the wireless chargingdevice may determine the receiver device-,-comprises a passive NFC tag if a difference between the processing response time at the two different transmission powers is greater than a difference threshold. Similarly, the wireless chargingdevice may determine the receiver device-,-comprises a powered NFC antenna/device if a difference between the processing response time at the two different transmission powers is less than or equal to the difference threshold.

3 FIG. 1 FIG. 2 FIG. In more detail,illustrates a process for detecting a passive NFC tag according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by the wireless charging device oforor any of the integrated circuits disclosed herein.

330 A first stepcomprises setting a NFC transmission power (VDDPA) of a wireless charging device to a first transmission power.

332 A second stepcomprises transmitting a first NFC processing command at the first transmission power.

334 332 334 A third stepcomprises receiving a first NFC processing response corresponding to the first processing command from a receiver device. The combination of the second stepand the third stepmay be referred to as a single step comprising communicating with the receiver device using NFC communication.

336 A fourth stepcomprises determining a first processing response time of the receiver device based on a delay between the first NFC processing command and the first NFC processing response. The processing response time may comprise a FDT as described above.

338 A fifth stepcomprises setting the NFC transmission power of the wireless charging device to a second transmission power.

340 A sixth stepcomprises transmitting a second NFC processing command at the second transmission power.

342 A seventh stepcomprises receiving a NFC second processing response corresponding to the second NFC processing command from the receiver device.

344 An eighth stepcomprises determining a second processing response time of the receiver device based on a delay between the second NFC processing command and the second NFC processing response.

346 346 A ninth stepcomprises comparing a difference between the first processing response time and the second processing response time, to a difference threshold. The ninth stepalso comprises determining the receiver device to comprise a passive NFC tag if the difference is greater than the difference threshold and determining the receiver device to comprise a powered NFC antenna/device if the difference satisfies the difference threshold.

4 FIG. 4 FIG. 3 FIG. 400 332 334 336 In some examples, as illustrated in, the wireless charging device may measure processing response times for two different transmission powers and two different processing commands at each processing power. Steps ofthat appear inhave been given corresponding numbers in theseries. Furthermore, the steps of transmitting the NFC processing command, receiving the NFC processing responseand determining the processing response timeare referred to as the step of communicating with the receiver device using NFC and determining a frame delay time.

430 A first stepcomprises enabling an RF transmission field of the wireless charging device at a first transmission power (low VDDPA setting (e.g. minimum VDDPA)).

448 448 332 334 336 3 FIG. A second stepcomprises activating a smart card/NFC tag and measuring a first RATS FDT, X1, at the first transmission power. The second stepcomprises a specific embodiment of the second, third and fourth steps,,of. Activating the smart card may comprise the wireless charging device sending a NFC activation signal to the smart card. Measuring the first RATS FDT, X1, may comprise transmitting a RATS command at the first transmission power, receiving a ATS response and calculating the RATS FDT based on a delay between the RATS command and the ATS response.

450 450 332 334 336 3 FIG. A third stepcomprises exchanging APDU and measuring a first ADPU FDT, Y1, at the first transmission power. The third stepcomprises another specific embodiment of the second, third and fourth steps,,of. Measuring the first ADPU FDT, Y1, may comprise transmitting an APDU command at the first transmission power, receiving an APDU response and calculating the APDU FDT based on a delay between the APDU command and the APDU response.

452 An optional fourth stepcomprises temporarily disabling the RF transmission field.

438 A fifth stepcomprises enabling the RF transmission field at a second transmission power (high VDDPA setting (e.g. maximum VDDPA)).

454 454 340 342 344 3 FIG. A sixth stepcomprises activating a smart card/passive NFC tag and measuring a second RATS FDT, X2, at the second transmission power. The sixth stepcomprises a specific embodiment of the sixth, seventh and eighth steps,,of. Measuring the second RATS FDT, X1, may comprise transmitting a RATS command at the second transmission power, receiving a ATS response and calculating the RATS FDT based on a delay between the RATS command and the ATS response.

456 456 340 342 344 3 FIG. A seventh stepcomprises exchanging APDU and measuring a second ADPU FDT, Y2, at the second transmission power. The seventh stepcomprises another specific embodiment of the sixth, seventh and eighth steps,,of. Measuring the second ADPU FDT, Y1, may comprise transmitting an APDU command at the second transmission power, receiving an APDU response and calculating the APDU FDT based on a delay between the APDU command and the APDU response.

458 An optional eighth stepcomprises temporarily disabling the RF transmission field.

446 1 446 2 A ninth step-comprises comparing a difference between the first RATS FDT, X1, and the second RATS FDT, X2, to a RATS difference threshold. If the difference is greater than the RATS difference threshold, the method identifies the receiver device as comprising a passive NFC tag. If the difference is less than the RATS difference threshold, the method proceed to a tenth step-.

446 2 The tenth step-comprises comparing a difference between the first APDU FDT, Y1, and the second APDU FDT, Y2, to an APDU difference threshold. If the difference is greater than the APDU difference threshold, the method identifies the receiver device as comprising a passive NFC tag. If the difference is less than the APDU difference threshold, the method identifies the receiver device as comprising a powered NFC antenna/device.

4 FIG. 4 FIG. Table 1 illustrates results from a variety of NFC receiver devices including a number of smart phones and a number of smart cards with passive NFC tags. The method ofwas used to obtain the measurements and provide the conclusion in the final column. Measurements were performed at the edge of the NFC antenna of the wireless charging poller to simulate weak-coupling scenarios, for which conventional smart card detection techniques struggle. The results indicate that the method ofcorrectly identifies each device as a phone (powered NFC device) or a smart card (passive NFC tag).

2 FIG. 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 1 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 202 1 202 2 Returning to, in some examples, the integrated circuit may communicate with a plurality of receiver devices-,-. For example, the integrate circuit may broadcast a NFC processing command to both the first and second receiver devices-,-. The integrated circuit may receive a corresponding processing response from each of the receiver devices-,-. The integrated circuit may determine whether each of the receiver devices-,-comprise a passive NFC tag or a powered NFC antenna/device using any of the techniques or processes described above for a single receiver device. For example, the integrated circuit may broadcast a NFC processing command to both receiver devices-,-at a first transmission power, receive a NFC processing response from each receiver device-,-and determine a first processing response time for each receiver device-,-. The integrated circuit may broadcast the same NFC processing command to both receiver devices-,-, at a second transmission power, receive a NFC processing response from each receiver device-,-and determine a second processing response time for each receiver device-,-. The integrated circuit may determine one or both of the receiver devices-,-to comprise a passive NFC tag if the difference between the respective first processing response time and second processing response time is greater than a difference threshold (and determine a powered NFC device if the difference is less than or equal to the difference threshold).

TABLE 1 Results of RATS and ADPU FDT measurements and corresponding NFC device characterization FDT FDT FDT FDT FDT FDT 1.5 V 4.7 V diff 1.5 V 4.7 V diff NFC device RATS RATS RATS APDU APDU APDU Conclusion Samsung 416 416 0 4928 4852 76 Phone Galaxy S22+ Xiaomi 11T 473 473 0 596 605 −9 Phone Pro Galaxy Note 473 473 0 5202 5174 28 Phone 20 Ultra Honor Magic 4 482 492 −10 756 746 10 Phone Pro Citi bank card 416 246 170 13235 3341 9894 Card Austrian e- 699 227 472 56425 10414 46011 Card card Edenred bank 492 189 303 20881 8270 12611 Card card MIFARE 86 86 0 7632 3606 4026 Card DESFire EV3 MIFARE 605 274 331 14569 4759 9810 Card DESFire EV2

The disclosed apparatus and methods provide for passive NFC tags/smart card detection for wireless charging devices in both strong- and weak-coupling scenarios. The disclosed apparatus and methods can measure processing response times, such as frame delay times to characterize a NFC receiver as a passive NFC tag or a powered NFC device. By performing a FDT measurement at two different powers, the NFC charging device can accurately identify a passive or powered NFC device based on any difference in the FDT at the two different powers.

The instructions and/or flowchart steps in the above figures can be executed in any order, unless a specific order is explicitly stated. Also, those skilled in the art will recognize that while one example set of instructions/method has been discussed, the material in this specification can be combined in a variety of ways to yield other examples as well, and are to be understood within a context provided by this detailed description.

In some example embodiments the set of instructions/method steps described above are implemented as functional and software instructions embodied as a set of executable instructions which are effected on a computer or machine which is programmed with and controlled by said executable instructions. Such instructions are loaded for execution on a processor (such as one or more CPUs). The term processor includes microprocessors, microcontrollers, processor modules or subsystems (including one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers), or other control or computing devices. A processor can refer to a single component or to plural components.

In other examples, the set of instructions/methods illustrated herein and data and instructions associated therewith are stored in respective storage devices, which are implemented as one or more non-transient machine or computer-readable or computer-usable storage media or mediums. Such computer-readable or computer usable storage medium or media is (are) considered to be part of an article (or article of manufacture). An article or article of manufacture can refer to any manufactured single component or multiple components. The non-transient machine or computer usable media or mediums as defined herein excludes signals, but such media or mediums may be capable of receiving and processing information from signals and/or other transient mediums.

Example embodiments of the material discussed in this specification can be implemented in whole or in part through network, computer, or data based devices and/or services. These may include cloud, internet, intranet, mobile, desktop, processor, look-up table, microcontroller, consumer equipment, infrastructure, or other enabling devices and services. As may be used herein and in the claims, the following non-exclusive definitions are provided.

In one example, one or more instructions or steps discussed herein are automated. The terms automated or automatically (and like variations thereof) mean controlled operation of an apparatus, system, and/or process using computers and/or mechanical/electrical devices without the necessity of human intervention, observation, effort and/or decision.

It will be appreciated that any components said to be coupled may be coupled or connected either directly or indirectly. In the case of indirect coupling, additional components may be located between the two components that are said to be coupled.

In this specification, example embodiments have been presented in terms of a selected set of details. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that many other example embodiments may be practiced which include a different selected set of these details. It is intended that the following claims cover all possible example embodiments.